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Broncos Prepare for Big Weekend

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BOISE, Idaho - The No. 2 ranked (InterMat) Boise State wrestling team is set to hit the road for an action packed weekend that includes a dual and tournament at the University of Northern Colorado, Friday-Saturday (Nov. 19-20), as well as an appearance at the NWCA All-Star Classic, Sunday (Nov. 21), in Fresno, Calif.

Boise State (1-0-1 overall, 0-0-1 Pacific-10 Conference) will open the weekend on Friday with a dual against UNC (0-0, 0-0 Western Wrestling Conference) at 6 p.m. The Broncos are then slated to compete in the UNC Old Chicago Open, Saturday, which will run throughout the day. Friday's dual will be the last one for Boise State until Jan. 8-9 when the Broncos head to the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Boise State will wrap up a full weekend on Sunday at the 45th annual All-Star Classic, where Andrew Hochstrasser and Adam Hall will represent the Broncos. Kirk Smith was also selected to compete in the prestigious event but recently withdrew due to injury. Hochtrasser, who is currently ranked No. 2 nationally by the NWCA, will face No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) in the 133-pound match. No. 1 ranked Hall will then square off against No. 4 Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State). Hochstrasser and Hall will become just the sixth and seventh Boise State wrestlers ever to compete in the event.

The All-Star Classic is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. (PST). Live video of the All-Star Classic will be available via nwcaonline.com. &nbsp;

Last time out...

The Broncos enter this week looking to rebound from a disappointing home opener last Saturday (Nov. 13) that ended in an 18-18 tie with Pac-10 rival Oregon State. Boise State raced out to an early 14-0 lead in the dual, only to see it diminish over the next five matches. Trailing 18-14 with just the 133-pound match left, the Broncos needed a big performance by Hochstrasser to avoid the upset. Hochstrasser answered the call, beating Kelly Kubec by 11-0 major decision to even the final team score at 18-18.

Looking at the Bears...

Friday will mark the first dual of the 2010-11 season for Northern Colorado as the Bears kicked-off their fall schedule last weekend at the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo. UNC is looking to build upon a fifth-place finish in the Western Wrestling Conference a year ago. The Bears are led by senior Justin Gaethje (157 pounds), who became the first All-American in program history after placing seventh at the NCAA Championships last spring.

Broncos in the national rankings...

Boise State remained at No. 2 in the Nov. 16 intermatwrestle.com tournament power rankings despite falling to 1-0-1 on the season after tying Oregon State in the Broncos' home opener. Boise State did drop three spots in this week's NWCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll however, being voted No. 5 in the second coaches' poll of the regular season.

The Broncos have five wrestlers still ranking individually in the InterMat top 25, including three wrestlers currently ranked No. 1 nationally for their respective weight class. Hochstrasser (133 pounds), Hall (157) and Smith (184) all maintained their No. 1 ranking this week. Hochstrasser and Hall are both 2-0, while Smith has yet to compete this fall.

Jason Chamberlain and Levi Jones round out the group of ranked Broncos, as Chamberlain is currently No. 4 at 149 pounds and Jones is No. 13 at 141.

UNC tied to Boise State...

This weekend will provide a fun match-up for Boise State wrestling fans as the Broncos will face a program led by three former Bronco greats. UNC head coach Ben Cherrington and assistants Ben VomBaur and Nate Lee all enjoyed highly successful collegiate careers wrestling at Boise State.

Cherrington enters his second season leading the Bears after spending the 2009-10 season as interim head coach. Cherrington finished his career in blue and orange with a 93-32 overall record, which was capped by winning the 2006 National Championship at 157 pounds. Prior to taking over as head coach, Cherrington was an assistant at UNC during 2008-09.

VomBaur and Lee also enjoyed their share of success wrestling for the Broncos. VomBaur was a two-time NCAA All-American at 125 pounds for Boise State. He enters his first season at UNC after spending four years as an assistant at Wyoming. Lee also enters his first season with the Bears after graduating from Boise State last spring. Lee finished his collegiate career as a two-time Pac-10 Champion and a four-time NCAA tournament participant.